Balagam 2023

Gajula [Komurayya], a typical elderly inhabitant of a Telangana village, sustains an apparently peaceful life with his elder son [Ailayya], his daughter-in-law, and their young son [Sayilu]. The tale follows a family bound by tradition, pride, and a web of obligations that strain every relationship in the small rural world they inhabit.

Unbeknownst to his hot-tempered father, [Sayilu] owes a massive sum of money to a cruel moneylender, and he tries to reassure everyone that he will repay the loan once he receives dowry from his fiancée’s family. This precarious arrangement shadows the household, coloring moments of joy with the fear of ruin and forcing choices that test loyalties. The tension around the impending marriage intensifies as the debt gnaws at Sayilu’s conscience and his family’s stability.

Komurayya’s untimely death leads to a cascade of consequences: Sayilu’s forthcoming marriage is postponed, and Lakshmi, his estranged daughter, returns to the village with the weight of a long-standing rift in her wake. Lakshmi’s husband, [Narayana], and [Ailayya] have not seen eye to eye for two decades, a feud that complicates every attempt at reconciliation. Narayana, a wealthy industrialist, soon reveals a hard-edged pragmatism in his plans, and his hunger for wealth drives him to pursue the hand of his heiress, [Sandhya], in a bid to consolidate power and fortune. Sayilu, meanwhile, sees an opportunity to secure Sandhya through his own courtship, a move that is repeatedly rebuffed as the family’s memories of old grievances resurface.

On the third day after Komurayya’s cremation, a village ritual comes to the forefront: a feast is offered to Komurayya’s soul, and a crow is expected to consume the meal as a sign of the departed’s satisfaction. When the crow does not devour, Narayana publicly humiliates [Ailayya] for failing to appease the restless spirit, and he departs from the village with Lakshmi and Sandhya, leaving Sayilu feeling cornered and disappointed by the turn of events. In the background, [Narsi], the tailor who had once mocked Komurayya’s fate, begins to bear the weight of guilt the moment he learns of the old man’s death, and feverish unease sweeps through him as well as through two other villagers indirectly touched by the tragedy.

In a bid to restore balance, Sayilu and his friend stage a public confrontation designed to cast the blame for the village’s malaise on the unsettled soul itself. The village Sarpanch summons Komurayya’s family to a Panchayat and sets a stark deadline: please Komurayya’s soul by the eleventh day, or bear responsibility and face banishment. As Lakshmi’s family returns and Sandhya’s presence looms large, there is a fragile sense that reconciliation might still be possible, especially as [Ailayya] reflects on his true feelings for Lakshmi and Komurayya’s sister recounts a childhood memory that softens hard hearts.

Komurayya’s brother steps forward to offer a candid truth: Komurayya had shown a leaning toward Sayilu and Sandhya’s marriage, and his blessing might calm the restless spirit if Narayana agrees, prompting Ailayya to reconsider his own conduct and seek reconciliation. Meanwhile, Mogilayya and his wife [Sujata] contemplate selling a plot of land to the wife’s brother, a move seen as fraught with ill omens for the family. Ailayya, who hopes to erect a gravestone for Komurayya in a place he loved, worries about the land’s fate, while the family’s quarrel over this mortal relic underscores their stubbornness and the fragility of their ties.

That night, Sayilu’s sorrow turns to a quiet, earnest mourning for the man his grandfather might have wished him to be. The mournful songs of village singers rise to honor Komurayya and to call for unity among the kin in anticipation of the eleventh day. Their voices carry a powerful message about forgiveness, accountability, and the need to come together as a family.

As the community listens, a collective breakthrough occurs: the extended family experiences an emotional awakening, acknowledging their past misdeeds, apologizing, and embracing one another with tearful reconciliations. Sayilu unveils a family portrait taken before Ailayya and Narayana’s estrangement, a symbol of the ties they once shared and now yearn to rebuild. When the crow finally accepts the feast, the final image is clear—the soul of Komurayya has found its longing for reunion, and the family’s long division gives way to a renewed sense of belonging, tempered by humility and mutual care.